The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-07-30

clients in good humor by calling on
them apropos of nothing and amusing
them with his jokes and stories. This
business was technically termed ''keep"
ing the connection together" and It
suited Mr.. Fox very well indeed. 1t
was while he was thus keeping the
connection together that Mr.. Fox made
the acquaintance Of a certain rich old
widow lady, named Mrs. johnson. and
so we'll did he play his cards that be.
fore long Plumley 4 Fox became Mrs.
Johnson's family solicitors. land agents
and confidential advisers. The firm
made a pretty good thing out of Mrs.
johnson. In accordance with the
usual arrangements, Plumley transact
cd the business and Fox became a con-
slant visitor at her house and worked
his way into her good graces by his
wonderful powers Of amusing CONVEX
sation. There was yet another accom-
plishment which stood u solicitor in
very good stead. and this was IN &C.
curate knowledge of chemistry and
medicine. which he had picked up as n
boy in the Office of his uncle, the
chemist. The horrible smells young
Fox had created in his experiments,
and the ugly stains he had made on his
hands, determined him to for.
sake medicine for law, but he
never entirely forgot his early expert
ence. He could talk fluently about
every known drug and disease, and
about a great many which had not
yet been discovered. He diagnosed
Mrs. Johnson's symptoms at least rs
well as MacBolius, the Scotch doctor.
and would even have prescribed for her
had not the stalwart Scot angrily threat
ened to kick him if he did so. But he
retained a very prominent place in the
old lady's affections, and it began to
be whispered about that he had an ex-
~cellent chance of succeeding to her
very considerable property.
The disposal Of Mrs. Johnson's
money was a matter which had long
furnished speculation of unfailing in
terest to the town of Slumbor ough and
filled many Il yawning gap in CONVEX
sation at afternoon teas. Mrs. john
son had but one relative in the world,
Miss Lizzie Roberts. the daughter of
her late sister. This young lady. how
eyer. it was agreed, had not the slight
est chance of being mentioned in her
aunt's will. A handsome, well bred
girl. she was left at her parents death
to make her own way in the world, in
heriting nothing but the battle of life
and the dislike of Mrs. johnson, who
had not seen the child since it quilted
its baby clothes. This strang an
tipathy was traceable, as people said.
to times gone by when Mr.. Roberts,
Lizzie's father, then renowned for his
manly beauty. had been an assiduous
visitor at the house of Mrs. Johnson's
parents. She, being the eldest
daughter and taking all his attention
for herself. had felt it keenly as Il per-
sonal insult when her sister dared "to
snatch it away and w later on.
after having made a much more brill
liant match herself. she could never
forgive this early defeat. Death cven
had not buried the grudge, which not
unnaturally passed from mother to
child.
How far this saying may have been
true or not, one thing is certain, poor
Lizzie had not the ghost of a chance Of
ever seeing a single penny from her
aunt's money-box; her claims were
clearly quite out Of the question.
There remained, then, only Miss Nellie
Brown, Mrs. Johnson's lady compan-
ion, and Mr.. James Fox.
MI. Fox knew from his partner. who
had cautioned him in a friendly way,
that Mrs. johnson was not going to
divide her fortune. but would leave
the whole of it to her 'truest friend"
though she had evidently not made
up her mind as to who deserved
that title. More than onc had MI.
Plumley been summoned to draw up q
new will, SO slight an annoyance MS a
cold cup Of tea having caused her to
destroy the one in Miss Nellie's favor.
Then two days neglect on the part Of
Mr.. Fox and a constant supply of hot
tea at the hands of Miss Nellie again
rcinstatcd this lady in Mrs. Johnson's
good graces. Mr.. Fox, therefore, had
good canse for anxiety as to what
would be the real state of affairs
when the old lady was finally called
upbn 10 join the majority.
with such an old woman he said
to himself, ''wlo is ready to make .
new will any day and to burn it the
next. there is no dependence; one's
future hangs upon n whim; a remedy
must be found. The safest thing
would. of course. be to make love tt